Current meter



May 3 1927. y

C. H. AU

CURRENT METER Filed Oct. 29, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR IHHHH.

May 3g 1927.

C. H. AU

CURRENT METER Filed Oct. 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'ITORNEY Patented Mayv 3,.A

UMTEDSTATES cannet. .einer WASHINGTON, nrsrnrcr or "COLUMBIA, nssreNon ,or CNE-HALF To JOHN o.k HOYT, or wesnrNe'roN, nrsrnic'r ONCOLUMBIA.

'npplipatironnied .october als, i925.' serial No. `65,451.

,10i use and'that the'zinvention is `netto be theref g by limited to such use.

In axial yflow meters, as `hertofore constructed, the propeller, which is driven by `the waiter `flow,` has been lsupported on overhang. bearings, which,` produce a large amount of ',fiiction, and this 'friction has' f been so serious that such meters were practically useless for low yeloclties. Moreover, the meters have been so constructed as to be 20 difficult to take apart andk clean, and such cleaning is essential'ii1 the sensitiveness ofv 'the device is to be maintained, lsincedirt and sediment in thebearings greatly increases ,f the friction of the parts,and,`hence, ,the reliability ot themeter.

The presentinvention provides improved n s 4,means fory supporting thepropeller, and improved and more sensitive .bearings anda better balance of the meter. The invention consists inthe construction and combination ot ,elements hereinafter described fandfdefined inthe appended claims.` n i o i The inventive idea maybe embodied in a variety of forms,y one ofwhich'for the purpose of illustrating the4 invention is shown f in the accomp,anyingy drawings, but .n it is to be expressly understood that ysuch `drawings 7are tfor lthe purpose of illustration only, g

and are not designed to define the limitsof 45 Fig. 2 is a side elevation ot' one form kof propeller thereby; o s Fig. 3 isa `detail'inv perspective showing the means of adjusting a worm wheel driven by a worm on the propeller spindle;

Figi 4 isa detail side elevation of the Y wormwheel, the 'shaft on which vit is mounted and the parts driven/thereby;

Fig. 5 is a yside elevational detail View employed and the spindleV driven 'any suitable tail'piece 6, preferably through` 4 the invention, reference being had to the apy illustrating the manner of disassembling the meter; 1 y Fig. Gis a perspective view of the sup-l porting stem ofthe' meter andthe 'contact chamber; andf i Figa 7v is ay perspective view showing a different*` form of yoke from that shown in the otherwiguresand.a' modiied form of securingfthe saine to theimeter stern.

Referring to the drawings, in `which like reference numerals indicatek like parts throughout the several" views, 1 isthe usual or `any suitablemeter stemvp'rovided with meansg-as a staiii"2,here shown as passing through a'mortise 3 in the stem` 1, Fig. 6,

and' pivoted to said stem by pivot'4. To 70 "the lower end ofthestaii Q'is =,secured the i usualror ,any 4suitable `weight 5. and yto the rear end ofstem 11s secured the usual or a socket connection and set`screw`8`. rAll of the parts'thus fard'esc'ribedmay be of ,the Ausual or any 'desiredconstruction- On, the vforward end ofthe stein Y1 is mounted a contactlcharnber 9. here shown ask cylindricalin form yand extending` rvhorizontally 80 ,intofthe stem,l :as will be clearly .understood from :an inspection of Figs. 1 and y5, in

ywhich Fig.' A1 shows the contact chamber with a closingfcapfin position thereon, and Fig. 5, shows 4the'sarne with "the cap removed. On the extreme forwardfend of the stem 1, said stem isprovided with forward `face or shoulder to which thefpropeller supportingmeansis firmly secured. This forward face ory shoulder may assume dii'erent 90 forms, dependent-upon the particular form ot propeller 'supporting' means employed. As shown in Figs. 1" and 2, kit has the form twooppositely ext-ending lugs k10, 10 at thefextreme forward end of the kstem .1, and these lugs together with the end of the stem itself, form afplane surface 11.'.from which projects a hub12. having an opening 13 therethrough, which openingextends' into thecontact chamber 9 *for ya purposev 100 yhereinafter yto be described.

The means for support-infr the propeller "ofthe metermay also assume various forms,

`and,"as here shown. isin the form of aytwoarmedyoke 14, the farms oiv whichat their i rear` ends are V,formed integral .with or other wise securedjtc a bridge piece'15, yhavin, ,a plane face ,16 yand a central openlng A17 Atherethrough. The forward ends of the arms of the yoke 14 are curved toward each other, and centrally located at the point where they imite, is a pivot point bearing 13 screwthreaded through the yoke, as shown, and held in position b v a lock nut 19. A correspondingpivot point bearing 20 is similarly mounted in the Contact chamber 9, see Fig.

5. A spindle 21. having hardened cup bearings 22, 22 at the opposite ends thereof, is mounted between the pivot bearings 18 and 20, the rear end of said spindle extending through the opening 17 and the hub 12 into and nearly across the contact chamber 9. and on the portion within the chamber it has a worm 23 formed thereon and one or more contact points 24. The yoke is firmly secured to the forward face or shoulder 11 by means of screws 25, 25, Fig. 1, passing through the lugs 10, 10 and engaging the bridge piece 15 with the faces 11 and 16 in firm contact with each other. These screws 25 are preferably knurled to the end that thev may be readily operated by hand.

On that portion of the spindle 21 lying within the yoke 14, are mounted suitable pro peller blades 26, 26. These propeller blades may be either broad blades, as shown in Figs.

1 and 5, which form would be used where the' water was of considerable depth, or they may be narrow blades, such as 26', 26, shown in Fig. 2, for use in shallow water.

Mounted in the wall of the contact chamber 9. is a make-and-break contact brush 27, preferably in the form of twisted strands of bronze wire, rand having on its inner end a nob or wiping end, while its outer end is mounted in a suitable stem passing through the wall of the contact chamber but insulated therefrom, the mounting being such that the stem, together with the contact brush, may be readily removed without disturbing the insulating member. The specific construction of this brush and its mounting form no part of the present invention, and, hence, need not be described in detail herein, the same being speciiically described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 63,089, filed on the 17th day of October, 1925. This contact brush is so positioned in the contact chamber that. during the revolutions of the spindle 21, it makes wiping contact with the contact point 24 on the spindle, thus effecting a make-and-break contact therewith at each revolution of the spindle 21. It will, of course, be appreciated that two such contact points 24, may be formed on opposite sides of the shaft, in which case there would be a plurality of make-and-break contacts with the brush at each revolution of the spindle.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, 28 is a disc having approximately the diameter of the interior of the contact chamber 9. This disc is mounted in the closed end of the contact chamber, and is provided with a slot 29, see Fig. 3, through whichk extends a screw 30, by means of which the dise is held in position in the chamber. By loosening the screw, the disc may becturned around its axis, which is the axis ofthe chamber, to the extent permitted by the slot 29, when the screw may be again tightened and the disc held in its adjusted position. Projecting from the face of the disc at its periphery, is an arm 31, Fig. 3, having an overhanging bracket 32,y and a shaft 33 is mounted to turn in bearings supported in the bracket 32 and in the disc. This shaft with its bearings is shown in Fig. 4. The shaft has bearing openings 34 in either end thereof, yand a bearing spindle 35 extends through the bracket 32 and into said bearing opening34, the outer portion of the spindle being screw threaded as at y36, by meansof which it is,`

retained in position in the bracket 32. A similar bearing 35 extends upward through the disc 28 into the other end of the shaft 33, as will be readily understood from an iuspection of Figs'. 3 and 4. The bearings 35, 35 for the shaft 33 are eccentric to the disc 28. V On the shaft 33 is formed a plurality of contact points 37, and near the other end of the shaft is secured a wheel 3S having a plurality of teeth. as clearly shown in Figs.y

3 and 4, the number of teeth on said wheel correspondingr to the number of teeth on a worm wheel 39, keyed to the shaft 33 between the Contact points 37 rand the contact wheel38. f

By adjusting the disc 2S around its axis, the worm wheel 39 may-be brought into operative engagement with the'worm 23, on the spindle 21, or the disc may be soadjusted as to throw the worm ywheel 39 out of engagement with the worin 23, as desired. Mounted in the wall of the contact chamber `is a. secondfcontact brush 40, Fig.y 5, the

construction and mounting ofwhich in every respect corresponds' `to that of the contact-` brush 27,except that the brush is slightly longer, so as to bein position to make ywiping contact with,k either the contact points 37,` or the contact wheel 38, as may be desired. j

The contact brushes` are provided with suitable binding screws 4,1,fwhereby a circuit wire 42 is secured in electrical Lcontact with the brush, said wire passing toa suit able signaling device, as a telephone 43, connected by wire 44 to a source of electrical energy, as a battery 45, whichbattery in turn is connected by wire 4,6 to ,any suitable means for completing the circuit, here shown as the staff 2, from which the current returns through the water to the spindle 2l. At each revolution of the spindle, the circuit is closed when the contact brush wipes the Contact point 24 on the spindle. and is broken when the brush leaves said `Contact of Aa horizontal stem, a yoke removably secured to the forward end thereof, a contactehamber mounted on said stem, a bearing in said chamber, an adjustable bearing in the 'forward part el said yoke, and a currentdriven horizontal spindle turning on said bearings, whereby said yoke and spindle may be readily disassembled.

ll. In an axial flow meter, the Combination ot' a horizontal stem having a forwardly facing member, a yoke, manuallyoperated means holding said yoke against said member, a Contact chamber carried by said stein to the rear of said member, two removable bearing-points, one in said chamber and one on said yoke, and e current-driven spindle supported in said bearings, whereby said yoke and Spindle may be readily removed from said stem for cleaning or packing.

5. In an axial flow meter, the combination of a Contact chamber, a horizontal currentdriven spindle projecting into said chamber', a worm on said spindle, a shaft extending transverse to said spindh` and having a worm wheel secured thereon, and means adjusting said shaft around the axis ot' said chamber.

6. In an axial flow meter, the combination of astem, a Contact chamber carried by one end of said stem, a face block rigidly secured to said stem in front of said chamber, a face ing its arms seeured'to said face member,r

manually operable means securing saidblock and member together, a horizontalv currentdriven spindle extending through said face block and member and into `said Achamber, and two bearings forsaid spindle, one in said chamber and one on said yoke.

7. In an axial flow meter, the combination of a stem, a Contact chamber on the 'forward end theot`,a face plate having a forwardl f projecting hub with an opening theret rough into said chamber, ak yoke, a rearward face plate to which said yoke is secured and having an opening into which said hub projects, manually operable means firmly securing saidy face plates together,

two bearing points, one in saidv yoke and 'one in said chamber, and a current-driven spindle extending through said hubA and taking bearing on said bearing points.

S. The combination of a contaetehamber, a driven spindle projecting into said chambei', a worm on said spindle, 'fx/shaft extend` mg transverse to said spindle and having af worm wheel ksecured thereon, and means adjusting said shai't around ythe axis of said chamber.

specification.

CARL H. `Au

vr! HN), 

